


Too Late...

by Hazel_Inle



Series: The Consequences of a Shamed General [2]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Choking, Force Choking, Hux is falling apart, M/M, Medical stuff, Mitaka is in the medical bay, kylo ren is a punk b!tch owned by a scavenger, post starkiller, thanisson is still his friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 03:18:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8429434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazel_Inle/pseuds/Hazel_Inle
Summary: Hux has so little time before its over. He has one final thing he wants to do before he leaves the First Order forever, something he should have done long ago.
Prequel to By Chance





	

2 hours left. That’s all.

For all Hux could’ve thought, it may as well have been 2 seconds. But to give forewarning of such an event? What was the game playing at, really? A deliberate attempt to see if he would flee? If he would run? If he would try and escape? To see if he would hide like some coward?

Honestly, they were mistaken about that.

Hux knew where he wanted to be for the final hours. There really was only one place he wanted to be. He knew it was not uncommon knowledge among his crew where he always wanted to be if he had a choice. It was a sort of open secret amongst them under his command, and no one dared say a word. It was decided that there wasn’t fault in it, and it obviously wasn’t impugning on efficiency or work ability. Why judge?

The medical bay was starched white, sickly like the patients inside. Upon entering, a medical droid inquired if he wished to see Kylo Ren’s progress, to which Hux denied. He had no desire to see the man who essentially destroyed everything. Never mind that, they both were doomed anyways.

The droid then showed him to the real reason for his arrival, and the sight before him almost made him fall to his knees.

“Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka is in stable condition, sir,” the droid droned. “To maintain efficiency of healing, we have placed him in a medically induced coma. That way he has no ability to strain his vocal chords and neck.”

“Is there a chance of you removing him from it?” Hux asked. “The coma, I mean.”

“I am afraid not, sir. That may reverse the healing process of his vocal chords if he speaks.”

“I see…transfusion or gas induced?”

“Transfusion.” The droid pointed to the IV connected to Mitaka’s arm. “The life support is only a precaution. We have no gas anesthetics left after Starkiller’s destruction. As such, the IV could potentially cause his breathing function to shut down if he does not have the extra help.”

“Thank you. That is all.”

The droid, seeing that he was dismissed, left without another word to tend to the others in the medical bay. There were so many after Starkiller’s destruction…

Hux sighed in admission, and pulled up a chair to the medical table. He collapsed into it with a graceless flop, covering his eyes with a gloved hand to the gaudy white of the room and the disturbing sight of Mitaka lying motionless in a medical gown and connected to life support.

Hux could still remember seeing Mitaka hanging from Lord Ren’s hand, feet off the ground and desperately attempting to pry the grip off of his neck. It wasn’t until he intercepted did the Knight let him go, dropping his prized Lieutenant to the floor unceremoniously. No amount of lecturing did anything other than gain a simple snort from Kylo Ren, the force wielder no doubt thinking him petty to have such an attachment to his subordinate.

Thankfully, the physical signs of what happened were long gone, taken care of immediately by bacta. But the internal injuries…those were far more difficult to deal with. Hux knew that the damage was extensive enough to put Mitaka out of commission temporarily, but to this extent as to place him under?

It was a punishment that his final hours with him were to be spent in silence, and with one of them blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

Hux removed his hand from his eyes and stared at Mitaka’s face, partially covered by the breathing device, watching as his chest rose and fell silently in a steady rhythm. The only sounds that filled Hux’s ears were the sharp distinguished beeps of the cardiograph and the humming from the machines.

He longed to hear Mitaka’s voice, even and calm in battle, light and carefree all other times. He longed to have one last look into those brown eyes, so bright and innocent, though still wise and mature in their deepest depths.

Hux checked his chronometer.

1 hour and 8 minutes left.

It was a blessing, perhaps, that Mitaka was under. Perhaps it was good that he was unable to speak or hear him. It would make this next part easier. He had feared his reaction, anyway.

_Call me a coward, go ahead…I have nothing left to lose…_

“It seems this is where we part ways forever, Mitaka…” he began, taking his hat off to knead it in his hands. It was a nervous tick he never truly gotten rid of.

“I am only sorry that I never told you this before it was too late…I suppose it makes no difference to either of us now…” he spoke no louder than was necessary to hear himself, and put aside his now crumpled hat. Slowly, and with purpose, he removed his gloves to expose his pale hands to the serialized cool air of the Medical Bay.

“It…may be a blessing that you cannot truly hear me. I would hate for our last meeting to be your rejection of disgust to my confessions but…I must speak my mind.”

He took one of Mitaka’s motionless hands into his own, holding it gently between his with reverence and care.

“I have come to realize a great… _deep_ admiration for you. In vain, I have attempted to put it aside as mere folly or perhaps a wish for connection such I have never felt before. And yet, I find myself unable to resist the urge to fall so far as saying that…you have bewitched me. Completely.”

He recalled every gleeful moment he had with the Lieutenant, the private reports in his office in which he stole him away to speak on equal standing. He was able to pretend in his mind that Mitaka was comfortable around him enough to consider themselves close, and perhaps more. He remembered every time he saw Mitaka smile at something said, and watched it spread into his eyes. It was a wonderful sight, more breathtaking than any star system he had ever seen.

“I have entertained myself many a time that I would perhaps be entirely honest with you, and that somehow _that_ would convince you to perhaps look my way…”

Hux allowed a small chuckle to escape his throat, his lip twitching upwards a little.

“Silly, I know. But I suppose that would make you laugh but smile too…which would make it worth it…”

A moment of silence before Hux scoffed in disgust.

“I am going on like some crazy love-sick fool to a sleeping body. This perhaps may be my lowest point…”

His eyes went to Mitaka’s relaxed face before going to his chronometer.

10 minutes to go.

_No! It’s too soon!_

He abruptly stood and cupped Mitaka’s face between his hands gently, leaning over his body so that their faces were mirroring one another.

“No matter what you hear, Dopheld, believe in me; I am not dead. I am not a traitor. I did not leave The Order because I wanted to. If I were to ever leave The Order willingly…it would be to spend my life with you.”

Hux’s hands moved on their own accord and slipped the breathing mask off, revealing Mitaka’s small nose and slightly parted thin lips. His breath caught in his throat before he claimed those unmoving lips he desired for so long.

Warm, but sterile tasting, Hux was underwhelmed by the feeling, though thankful he was able to do so before he left forever. Mitaka may never remember this, but Hux would for the rest of his existence.

The life support alarms blazed to life and the cardiograph flat-lined. Hux desperately replaced the mask on Mitaka’s face just as the guards came to take him away. Medical personnel flooded the room and took no notice of the retreating shamed general.

He left before the flat-line returned to a rhythmic spike, breaking what little hope was left in him.

* * *

White light. Soft ringing. Acidic smells.

A soft groan escaped Mitaka’s lips as he blinked awake, a medical droid cleaning his arm from the IV.

“Where…?” he croaked out, his throat raw from lack of use. He smelt his breath through his trachea and winced at the strong odor of bacta.

“The medical bay.” The droid replied. “You have just been woken from an induced coma.”

“Oh…” Mitaka murmured. “How long…”

He had trailed of, speaking still a hard task for him. The droid seemed to understand, however.

“Two weeks, now,” A new voice joined in. Mitaka looked up abruptly and was joyous to see his friend, Thanisson, awake and well. The explosion in the hangar had done a number to him, but Thanisson was due for full recovery from his burns and cuts. All that was left of his injuries were two bacta patches over the left side of his face and his mostly shaven head where raised scars bumped over the exposed skin.

 “And you’ve missed some big events, you know,” Thanisson continued, a small smile peeking out.

“Arc…” Mitaka cried almost silently, beaming.

“Phel,” came the happy reply, Thanisson sitting in the chair that was pulled up to the side of the bed.

“I wanted to see you earlier, but this metal clank wouldn’t let me.” He waved his hand towards the droid, who gave a defensive whir in response.

“I take offense to that, since I am the droid who cleaned you up, Petty Officer Thanisson.”

“Ah, go bandage Kylo Ren’s face again, you clank!”

Mitaka stared at Arc’s humorously teasing face as the droid left sputtering and spewing its affronted dialogue as it disappeared from the room.

“Kylo Ren’s…face?” Mitaka asked.

Arc shrugged a shoulder.

“You were asleep. I’ll fill you in, but I’m sorry that none of it’s good.”

“What…?”

“First off, Starkiller was successful in destroying the Hosnian system, but it was…er… _blown up_ right after by the resistance. Kylo Ren fought against that girl you reported about and apparently really did a number on him. Hux had to drag him off the planet.”

Mitaka’s eyes widened with every new piece of information being revealed, and exhaled loudly as though he were trying to expel the shock from his body. He bit his lip and was surprised to find a faint but noticeable aftertaste that was not bacta. It was far more…human? He licked them to be sure, but it was gone.

He shook his head.

“What does…Hux have…”

Mitaka grunted in frustration, to which his friend patted him on the shoulder in consolation.

“Careful, I don’t think you should be talking too much,” Thanisson urged, taking out a datapad and opening a blank document. Mitaka knew right away what Thanisson was suggesting and began typing.

“ _What does Hux think of all this? Starkiller was his brainchild, after all.”_

“Oh…um, Hux is…” Here Thanisson sighed. “Gone.”

“ _Gone!?”_ Mitaka cried, his voice cracking. Thanisson gave him a warning look, and Mitaka returned to the pad.

“ _What do you mean ‘gone’!?”_

“That’s the thing, no one knows. We’ve been given a new commander and the survivors of Starkiller have been commissioned all across the fleet. The plan now is to recoup, I suppose.”

“ _But Hux…nothing at all was said about him?”_

“No…not even if he was executed for his so called failure or not. He just…disappeared.” Thanisson stared at him seriously.

“A lot of people are sure that if anyone knew where Hux was, it’d be you,” he revealed.

“ _Me_!?” Mitaka exclaimed again.

“Datapad, Phel,” Thanisson warned. Mitaka rolled his eyes.

“ _I’m sorry, but this is a lot to take in. And no, I wouldn’t know. He and I were not close.”_

“No?” Thanisson asked in surprise. “That’s odd…we all were sure that you and him were…”

With the speech ending in silence, Mitaka pressed on with the given pad.

“ _We were,_ what _?”_

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter now,” Thanisson dismissed. “We are retreating to the unknown regions for now, Kylo Ren is being shipped off to join the Supreme Leader (who knows what good a half dead body is to him) and we have a new commander who sounds like a prick. That’s all that matters.”

Mitaka slumped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Hux couldn’t be dead, could he? The First Order was his life, his passion. Nothing could shake that, _ever_. To be tossed aside by the Supreme Leader because of one failure? Absurd! But yet again…he was not known for his mercy…

_Hux…It’s too late…It’s too late for me to tell you that I…_

Mitaka closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out the universe and its cold cruelty, his tongue licking his lips and catching a trace of that taste once more to his surprise.

_…I had hoped for so much more._

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> I HC that IV's are so obsolete and only used in emergencies that it's possible for patients to have ill effects due to them being not properly injected or dosed since they are never used. But I am no expert in medical stuffs, and faint at the very sight of a needle. Do no not take me seriously on this one.


End file.
